Friends With JPGs

The Ultimate Killabears Primer

killabears nft project logo

If you’ve been subscribed to my newsletter for a while, you’ve probably caught wind of some my other primers, which often end up as one of the more popular newsletters I put out. Well, I’m stoked today to go into everything @killabearsnft!

 

The Origin

I’ll be honest – from my experience, usually when I write these types of things about a project, it takes a lot of work on my end to dig through Discord, Twitter, ask the community etc., just to find enough information to write about. This is not the case with @killabearsnft.

If anything, the hard part here was synthesizing the INSANE amount of information so that it’s easier to find and digest. It reminds me of what I would always tell my 8th grade students (I was an English teacher for about 9 years) – in high school, teachers ask you to write a few pages about a topic, and you always feel like you’re adding in fluff just to extend it to where it needs to be. In college, you get an immeasurable amount of information dumped on you, and the hard part is actually paring it down to “just the facts.”

I’m a big fan of working smarter, not harder, so for the origin of how Killabears came about, check the thread by their CEO, Ben, below.

https://twitter.com/mr_benft/status/1576637786307710976

While that thread gave some great information as to how the idea of Killabears was borne, and how the team came together to create it, the thread below details the actual story of the mint itself – which is epic in its own right. Check it out so you have a full understanding of how the team has done things the right way the entire time, and why the community backs them so strongly.

https://twitter.com/mr_benft/status/1582396490575532033

Oh, by the way, the team is also doxxed – and while that really isn’t the most important thing in the world, it’s always awesome to see people willing to put their names on the line. I loved this tweet from Ben tbh because you get to see where his priorities lie, and if you’ve followed me for any length of time at all, you know I’m all about that family life. These are the kind of people I want to support.

https://twitter.com/mr_benft/status/1611909181929410562

 

The Lore

Okay, so now that we have a basic understanding of how the team came together, and how Killabears launched, it’s important to mention that there is a whole Universe being built here – and the team has made sure to keep that story front and center. One of my favorite videos so far was this teaser trailer that came out 6 months ago – you have to give this a watch to fully appreciate what this team is capable of.

But it doesn’t stop there – they aren’t just putting out cool videos and leaving it at that. In order to fully understand the whole story of the Killaverse, you absolutely have to check out this page.

https://killabears.com/story/

 

Value to the Holders

One of the biggest issues in the NFT space right now is that for many projects, there’s no real return on value to the NFT holders themselves. Teams talk a big game and put out a lot of word salad about how that’s their intent, but at the end of the day we know actions speak louder than words. When you mix in shareholders and things like that, things get even more muddy as often these people or companies want equity, not the NFTs – and that makes their wants and needs sometimes diametrically opposed to that of their holders, regardless of how you spin it.

Now, I’m not saying it’s wrong to take VC money – and tbh, I’d be stoked if Killabears ever did, because I know they are going to do it the right way. But just take a look at this tweet, and you can tell that the team wants to make sure that they do things the correct way, not the easy way.

https://twitter.com/mr_benft/status/1604657787354484737

I particularly loved this part of the thread, because once again it shows the team has the correct mindset here.

https://twitter.com/mr_benft/status/1604657797521498112

They aren’t sitting in their million dollar homes, driving their sports cars, or jetsetting across the world (and they could have been, had they accepted this money). They are hungry, and by remaining hungry, that means the best possible outcome for the project as a whole. I’m sure many of you can relate to this tweet below.

https://twitter.com/BobLoukas/status/1512447075723718668

 

Yeah, Yeah, but What About the Value

As many of you know, there’s been a big debate raging for a while now about IP rights in the NFT space. Some projects give you full rights to your IP, and others have taken it completely away and gone CC0. I’ve personally even waffled on this from time to time, as I don’t think most people will really use the IP of their NFTs to make money – but that doesn’t mean we shouldn’t have the option. And Killabears once again has done things the right way, giving the IP rights to the holders of the NFTs themselves, enabling all sorts of awesome different projects and creations to arise as a result of it.

https://twitter.com/mr_benft/status/1605008886091563009

Toys aren’t it though – in fact, they hardly scratch the surface of what the team and community have planned – all designed to bring value back to the holders of the individual NFTs themselves.

Now, I don’t want to get too far ahead of myself, but you may want to check this out as well.

https://twitter.com/quirk_bear/status/1563344725372850177

 

The Killabits Airdrop

I won’t get super into the lore portion for this newsletter just so I can include all the other things I’m looking to discuss today, but if you’re looking for that information, remember to check it out here. Here’s the TL:DR, however, of the Killabits airdrop – each OG Killabear was dropped one for free, and the current floor price as of this writing is ~.85 eth.

The incredible community member @quirk_bear explained the entire Killabit airdrop (and more) in this thread, which is absolutely worth reading:

https://twitter.com/quirk_bear/status/1549179367724437505

If you are more of a “just the facts” kind of person, well, here you go:

https://twitter.com/mr_benft/status/1601680534626705408

 

Staking (Phase 1)

Just like everything else the team has done to this point in our story, it wasn’t enough to stick to the old way of doing things – Killabears does its best to innovate at every turn. In what are quick becoming some of my favorite threads, the CEO Ben put his thoughts out on the issues with staking, and where they planned to take things in the future.

https://twitter.com/mr_benft/status/1601680501072281600

As you can see, the team took the models they saw from other projects, and improved upon them greatly. @quirk_bear once again breaks down how the Phase 1 staking works:

https://twitter.com/quirk_bear/status/1567228296009764864

Simply put, in Phase 1, you stake both a Killabear and any Killabit at the website located here – aptly titled The Kilton. Notably, both the Bear and the Bit cannot have been through this staking phase already – otherwise, you won’t be able to start here.

If you’re looking for a Bear and Bit that have not “claimed their Kilton” – aka been through Phase 1 – check the official website here and sort by Kilton Claimed: NO (I did it for you).

These Bits and Bears are referred to as “virgins” in this ecosystem, and obviously go for a premium.

After spending 30 days in Phase 1, you’re eligible to claim your rewards, which consists of a GUARANTEED piece of Killagear of a random rarity, and a chance also to grab a Killabit, a Killapass, or Killatraits (we’ll get into these later, but feel free to check the links to see their current supply and price floors)! Although they’ve been claimed now, you even had a shot at an OG Killabear originally!

Now that we’ve made it through Phase 1 of staking, let’s move on to Phase 2.

 

Staking (Phase 2)

For Phase 2, things get even more fun. Now that you’ve made it through your stay at The Kilton, at a minimum you now have a Killabear OG, a Killabit, and a Killagear (weapon) of some kind. The cool thing about this is you can equip that weapon to your Killabit, and when you stake both your Killabear and Killabit in the Killalabs, depending on the rarity of your weapon, you have a shot at higher tiers of rewards.

You can even combine certain weapons to move up in the reward tiers!

This time around, you’re guaranteed a Killatrait via a Killacrystal at the end of your staking (which is 45 days), but you also have a shot at bonuses from the prize pool as well – Killabits, Killabear OGs, 1/1 Killatraits, Killagear, Killapasses, or even an Azuki Bean!

Here’s another great thread by Ben about the whole idea behind this.

https://twitter.com/mr_benft/status/1602698141072912384

After your OG Killabear and Killabit make it through Phase 1 (The Kilton) and Phase 2 (Killalabs), you’re all caught up to where we are today. However, that still leaves a lot to be explained – what’s a Killatrait, a Killapass, a Killabear XL, Killacrystals?

Killabears OG

The first NFT and asset in the Killabears ecosystem is obviously the original NFT, often referred to as the OG Killabears. To steal the blurb from Opensea:

KILLABEARS is a collection of 3333 thoughtfully designed, animated and randomly generated NFTs on the Ethereum Blockchain by Mexican artist Memo Angeles. KILLABEARS holders can participate in exclusive events, such as: NFT claims, raffles, giveaways and much, much more.

The big takeaways here, in my opinion, outside of the awesome artwork and effort the team put into the assets themselves, would be that there are only 3333 of them, and that they are the “keys to the kingdom” more or less.

First, the fact that there are only 3333 of these OG Killabears means the collection itself is substantially smaller than many other “bluechip” NFT projects – often a lot of these projects have 10,000 NFT collection sizes. While on its face that may not mean much, to those who have been around, that means that by even owning just a single Killabear, you own a significantly increased portion of the collection vs. other projects. If you’re a big believer in the project, which I am, then that means you’re able to get much more exposure, at much cheaper of a pricepoint relative to other collections currently.

 

Killabits

We went into Killabits in A Primer on Killabears (Part 2), but just as a reminder, you can check this thread out here which picks up just as the Killabits were airdropped to holders.

https://twitter.com/quirk_bear/status/1549179423034814464

These Killabits were airdropped for free to holders of the OG Killabears, and they have already been woven into the storyline and staking process as an integral part of the ecosystem. In Phase 1 of staking, you need a Killabit to pair with your OG Killabear in order to complete the process. Similarly, in Phase 2, you also need to pair your OG Killabear with a Killabit – except this time, the Killabits can utilize weapons, aka Killagear!

Just remember:

https://twitter.com/mr_benft/status/1596254910907125760

 

Killagear

Speaking of Killagear, users who complete Staking Phase 1 at the Kilton by staking an OG Killabear and a Killabit are rewarded with (at minimum), a piece of Killagear. As I mentioned in A Primer on Killabears (Part 2), these weapons can be used by Killabits in Staking Phase 2 to increase reward tiers:

The cool thing about this is you can equip that weapon to your Killabit, and when you stake both your Killabear and Killabit in the Killalabs, depending on the rarity of your weapon, you have a shot at higher tiers of rewards.

You can even combine certain weapons to move up in the reward tiers!

Killapasses

As you know by now – I work smarter, not harder. Here’s the Opensea blurb on what Killapasses are:

Killacubs Mint Passes are your exclusive ticket to the upcoming Build-A-Cub Workshop in the KillaVerse! Each pass gives you access to build a Killacub in our upcoming collection – for FREE!

If you currently own a Killabear, you’ll be able to use its traits to build your Killacub, and if you don’t own one yet, don’t worry! You’ll be able to choose from a variety of additional traits to build your cub.

These Killapasses are obtainable in the bonus prize pool for Staking Phase 1, Staking Phase 2, or even as giveaways from the team themselves!

But obviously I left out something important that you’re probably wondering – what’s a Killacub? Fair question.

 

Killacubs

Killacubs are an upcoming drop from the Killabears team to all OG Killabear holders. As you saw above, if you hold a Killapass you’ll also be able to mint them. But they are much more than that, as you’ll get to customize them yourself based on the traits you hold via your OG Killabears, or even the Killatraits you picked up along the way. Once again, our dude @quirk_bear has THE thread that you want to check out for the information on why Killacubs are going to be such an amazing addition to the ecosystem.

https://twitter.com/quirk_bear/status/1612929196145405957

 

Killatraits

Once again, from the Opensea page:

Behind the doors of an unmarked room deep inside Killalabs, a set of blueprints was discovered.

These blueprints include plans for a unique set of traits and attributes, however none of the traits appear to fit the measurements of any currently existing bear within the KillaVerse…

Killatraits are another asset in the Killabear ecosystem, but one with eyes on the future. Killatraits are going to be usable when it comes time to mint your own Killacub – you can use the traits you have either on your OG Killabears and/or via these passes to “build” your Killacub.

In yet more proof that the Killabears team is ingenius, these items are available as a bonus reward in Phase 1 staking, a guaranteed reward in Phase 2, OR, you could have gotten them from the limited time merch drop, which I still hate myself to this day for missing.

It was actually pretty brilliant – by ordering merch from the KillaWear drop, you automatically got 2 rare Killatrait tokens for free – which, by the way, are worth more than you spent on the merch itself.

https://twitter.com/killabearsnft/status/1593665548713328641

 

KillaKrystals

Man, I am so thankful the team does such a good job including pertinent information in their OpenSea listings:

These Krystals contain KillaTraits – and some, may contain… other surprises too! Run them through the KillaLabs DECRYSTALIZER (Coming Soon) to reveal the treasure inside.

KillaKrystals are the reward tokens for participants in the Killabears Chapter 2 KillaLabs Staking Experience. Join now and start earning your exclusive rewards!

As you can see, you get one of these KillaKrystals as a reward for going through Staking Phase 2. However, WHICH type of KillaKrystal you get, and what the rewards are, depend on that level of reward tier you were going for that I mentioned in the Killagear section above.

 

Killabears XL

These assets are actually some of my favorite, but they are also fairly simple in terms of the explanation of what they are and how they came to be. I’ll let the tweet below do the explaining:

https://twitter.com/kb_intern/status/1577732316478279695

 

KillaWear

As I mentioned in my previous newsletter, this KillaWear drop was a limited time claim for holders.

It was actually pretty brilliant – by ordering merch from the KillaWear drop, you automatically got 2 rare Killatrait tokens for free – which, by the way, are worth more than you spent on the merch itself.

https://twitter.com/killabearsnft/status/1593665548713328641

Not only did you get some dope gear and some dope traits, you also look good as hell.

https://twitter.com/CunyboyP/status/1615809932418289688

 

KillaKush

According to the Killabear website:

“Innovation within the fast-growing Cannabis industry. Through an industry partnership, we have pioneered what some are now calling the “Pez Dispenser” of pre-rolls. Future flavors will allow holders to monetize their IP by having their own bears featured. KillaKush will be available soon in all regulated cannabis markets.

With more details coming soon, this real-life unlock already has some awesome proof of concepts out there that we’ve been teased with.

KillaToys

https://twitter.com/mr_benft/status/1605008886091563009

As you can see from the link above, KillaToys offers holders another opportunity to capitalize on the IP behind their NFTs. While this first run was a limited time run of 1200, you can see that the team is working hard to not only create opportunities for holders, but also offer different types of appeal to people out there. Ben even mentioned something pretty important yesterday:

https://twitter.com/mr_benft/status/1616159771966701568

This statement links back to a thread he mentioned previously which is topical for the newsletter today:

https://twitter.com/mr_benft/status/1598852863597326336

 

KillaBear Extras

If you’ve been familiar with Proof of Update for a while, you know I also like to highlight the cool stuff taking place in the communities of my favorite ecosystems. Well, yesterday it appears the first @killabearsnft tattoo went down.

https://twitter.com/TransientToast/status/1616291519367090176

If you read above, you’ll see that the tattoo has a bit more meaning than just some degen NFT tattoo that we’ve seen before. It highlights the awesome KillaBear community, and why it’s a place that I’ve loved hanging out.

My friend @hinkiecrypto marked the occasion in his own way.

https://twitter.com/HinkieCrypto/status/1616295475098828800

 

That’s it for this Killabear Primer! I hope you learned a lot, and feel free to subscribe to my newsletter, Proof of Update, as well!

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